Top 10 on Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time (2023, 2015)
by johnataylor · 9 things on NewTwos
- "The 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time" is a music editorial and ranking of the finest rappers in history, published by the American magazines Billboard and Vibe in February 2023. The ranking was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop music's inception and was compiled by the magazines' respective editorial boards. To determine the rankings, the boards created a list of criteria based on a rapper's artistry, achievements, and cultural influence. It received criticism due to its exclusion of rappers who are not based in North America, as well as the omission of dancehall and reggaeton artists.
Billboard and Vibe presented the first set of rappers on January 11, 2023, and ten more rappers were announced over the course of three weeks. The top rankings were unveiled on February 8, 2023, which crowned Jay-Z the greatest rapper of all time and Nicki Minaj the greatest female rapper of all time. It sparked multiple debates within the hip hop industry, many of whom criticized the publications and artists featured in the premier positions.
Billboard initially created a list of the 10 greatest rappers of all time in November 2015, with the top position held by The Notorious B.I.G. The publication revised their rankings in 2023, via a partnership with Vibe, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The updated list, published in stages between January 11 and February 8, 2023, expanded their reach to include the top 50 rappers of all time, instead of 10. The rankings were based on the votes of ten journalists who were a part of Billboard and Vibe's editorial boards, and was led by Datwon Thomas, the editor-in-chief of Vibe. To "keep [the] pool of nominees a little more focused," the journalists chose to exclude dancehall and reggaeton artists and only center on rappers based in North America, regardless of merit.
- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 2023 List: Top 10 on Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time
- 2015 List: Top 10 on Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time
- Eminem, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Nas, and The Notorious B.I.G. are the only rappers to be featured in both versions of the list.
- Nicki Minaj and Lauryn Hill are the only female rappers to be included in the top rankings of the lists.
- Nicki Minaj (Trinidadian) and Drake (Canadian) are the only non-American artists to be featured in the top ten of the 2023 revision.
- On both versions of the list, Kendrick Lamar is the youngest rapper spotlighted in the top ten.